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Qatar has been cleared to host the 2022 World Cup after Fifa’s ethics committee ruled that any breaches of the rules were only of “very limited scope” and closed its investigation into the controversial bidding process.

But in a 42-page summary of Garcia’s 430-page report, Hans-Joachim Eckert, the head of the adjudicatory arm of Fifa’s supposedly independent ethics commmittee, said that while there were concerns over aspects of Qatar’s bid they were not serious enough to warrant re-opening the process.

U.S. investigators are stepping up the pace of a corruption investigation into senior leaders of FIFA, even as the world soccer body is giving itself a clean bill of health, according to U.S. law enforcement officials.

The FIFA ethics committee announced Thursday that it was closing its investigation into alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 bidding process that awarded the World Cup to Russia and Qatar, respectively.

FIFA said its investigation found no corruption and has no reason to reopen the bidding process.

But the FBI, which is leading the U.S. probe, isn't ready to do the same. Investigators are moving ahead with their probe, which could result in charges against senior FIFA officials, the U.S. law enforcement officials said.

FBI agents based in New York are moving ahead with their 3-year-old investigation, which will likely benefit from the findings of a former U.S. prosecutor, Michael Garcia, who was hired by FIFA to do an internal probe. The FBI plans to seek access to Garcia's report, which FIFA hasn't yet released.

Michael Garcia has resigned from the FIFA ethics committee after being unhappy with their handling of his report on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Garcia released a statement explaining his decision to step down from his role with FIFA having led the investigation into the bid processes involved in the 2018 World Cup finals - to be hosted by Russia - and the 2022 World Cup finals to be staged in Qatar.

The American lawyer was unhappy with the independence of fellow ethics committee member German Han-Joachim Eckert, who produced the summary of Garcia's 430-page investigation.

Eckert's statement recommended that there was not enough evidence to justify reopening the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.

Garcia claimed that Eckert had misrepresented his work with his public summary.

"For the first two years after my July 2012 appointment as independent Chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee's Investigatory Chamber, I felt that the Ethics Committee was making real progress in advancing ethics enforcement at FIFA. In recent months, that changed," said Garcia.

Garcia has criticised FIFA's "lack of leadership", saying he cannot change the culture of the world governing body.

He said: "Accordingly, effective today, December 17, 2014, I am resigning as independent chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA ethics committee."

Garcia, who discovered on Tuesday that he had lost his appeal against the findings by ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, said it would have been "impractical" to take the appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

His statement adds: "The appeal committee also overlooked the Eckert decision's self-described 'findings', including one stating that "the evaluation of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups bidding process is closed for the FIFA ethics committee.

"FIFA president [Sepp] Blatter recently reaffirmed that 'finding' during an interview published by FIFA, stating: 'Furthermore, there is no change to Judge Eckert's statement that the investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups is concluded.'

"I disagree with the appeal committee's decision. It now appears that, at least for the foreseeable future, the Eckert decision will stand as the final word on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process."

FIFA's rejection of Garcia's appeal over misrepresentations in the statement on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding probe was "predictable" for a governing body littered with self interest, according to the Australian whistleblower referred to in the statement.

FIFA on Tuesday turned down its chief investigator's appeal against Judge Eckert's statement which cleared Russia and Qatar of wrongdoing in their winning bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.

Garcia had said Eckert's statement contained "numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions" detailed in his own report into the bidding process after an 18-month investigation.

FIFA also said there were no grounds for opening disciplinary proceedings against Eckert following complaints from whistleblowers that their evidence had been revealed.

Bonita Mersiades, who worked on the Australian bid team for the 2022 World Cup, said she was one of the unnamed whistleblowers referred to in the statement whose reliability was questioned and evidence dismissed out of hand.

"FIFA is nothing if not predictable, and has today surpassed itself in obfuscation and deflection," she said in a statement on her website late on Tuesday.

"FIFA's position underscores why we need a new FIFA.

"These issues are no longer just about winning bids from Russia and Qatar and losing bids, including Australia.

"It is about FIFA and the bid process that lent itself to abuse. In FIFA's world, there is no room for ordinary fans."

Nepalians/nepalese(whatever) workers in Quatar are not allowed to go home to bury their dead relatives and friends. Quatar has to keep up the pace to be ready for wc 2022, so screw everything else. Ican imagine that those who work on this project doesnt havy many rights, bad work conditions and all that as well.Hope most nations boicott this wc.

Some very disturbing facts in this recent ESPN documentary on the 2022 World Cup. Have a watch if you have the time, it's quite good.

I cannot believe Barca are creating more ties with Qatar with the severe corruption associated with it.

Qatar is vile. Qatar is also the only major natural gas exporter (with reserves that can last for decades) that the West isn't at odds with. Hence Qatar = massive economic and strategic asset. Sad, but also true.